Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Eastern Sierras → Mammoth Lakes Area → Upper Owens River

Location: Mammoth Lakes Area, Eastern Sierras, California

Time Required: 1 hour – all day

Red Tape/Notes: Bring you fishing license! If you’re looking for advice on the best flies for the area, we love the friendly people at Sierra Trout Magnet in Bishop.

What’s Nearby?: Crowley Lake Columns, Convict Lake, McGee Pass Trail, Tamarack Cross-Country Skiing

The Upper Owens is a popular spot for trout fishing, and it’s easy to see why. The river is easily accessible for much of its length from Forest Road 3S47A (and spur roads leading off of it), which you can reach by driving around 6 miles down Benton Crossing Road from Hwy 395 (so it’s a short drive from Mammoth). The river meanders in idyllic fashion through flat grasslands with clear water, making for carefree casting and easy fish spotting. Getting them to take your bait is another matter, although I did manage to land a young, naive rainbow on our last trip. I put him back obviously. Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Eastern Sierras → Mammoth Lakes Area → Upper Owens River